Latch mechanism



, March 11, 1958 L. L. PRUEI-IIS 2,826,442

LATCH MECHANISM Filed March 24, 1954 FIGJ . INVENTOR. LESLIE L. PRUEHS HIS ATTORNEY LATQH MECHANlSM Leslie L. Prnehs, lErie, Pa, assignor to General Electric Qompany, a corporation of New York Application March 24, 1954, Serial No. 418,321

1 Claim. (Cl. fili l-87) My invention relates to door latching mechanisms and more particularly to such mechanisms for latching relatively light doors such as the inner evaporator or freezer doors of household refrigerator cabinets.

Within their main outer doors most household refrigerator cabinets contain a light inner door providing access to the evaporator or the freezing compartment. These inner doors are commonly either spring biased toward the closed position or else provided with latches which retain them in the closed position. Particularly where the inner door provides access to a separate freezer compartment insulated from the rest of the cabinet, some sort of latch is provided to keep the door shut. Since these inner evaporator or freezer doors are not nearly so heavy as the outside door, and since they do not need to compress a heavy gasket, a much simpler latch mechanism may be used with them. Heretofore various types of latches have been used for these inner doors, and they have provided generally satisfactory results in operation. However, all of these latches do contain one drawback. Namely, they are of relatively expensive construction. They all require a number of parts which are not only costly to fabricate but which also must be assembled at some expense.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a new and improved latching mechanism for use with relatively light doors.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved latching mechanism which contains but a single movable member.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a spring latching mechanism in which the spring means and the latching means are incorporated into a single member.

My invention also has as its object the provision of an improved spring latching mechanism which is extremely inexpensive to fabricate and assemble.

in carrying my invention into effect I provide a latching mechanism which comprises a latch element having a catch section adapted to engage a keeper. I mount the keeper on one of the members to be latched together, i. e. on either the door or the cabinet, and I mount the latch element on the other of the members. The latch element in addition to the catch section contains a bifurcated portion and a tongue portion extending from the bight portion of the bifurcated portion. One of these portions engages one surface of the means supporting the latch element and the other of the portions is so crooked that it engages the opposite surface of the supporting means. As a result of the aforesaid portions engaging the opposite surfaces of the supporting means, a moment is produced in the latch element which biases the catch section into engagement with the keeper, this engagement latching the door to the cabinet. In order to release the catch section from the keeper I provide manually operable means for applying an opposite moment to the latch element. This opposite moment when applied removes the catch section from engagement with the keeper and thereby allows movement of the door relative to the cabinet. In my preferred embodiment this means for ta tes atent C) applying a moment to the latch element merely comprises an extension of the element itself.

The novel features which I believe to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claim. My invention, however, both as to its organization and method of operation may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view of a household refrigerator having an inner door on which is mounted a preferred embodiment of my new and improved latching mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a view partially in section of the preferred embodiment of my new and improved latch mechanism as incorporated in the refrigerator of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the latch in its open position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing a portion of the single movable element of the preferred embodiment of my new and improved latch;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view of a preferred means for mounting the single movable member; and,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view taken along the lines 66 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I have shown therein a household refrigerator cabinet 1 having an inner door 2 which is illustrative of the type of relatively light door to which my new and improved latch mechanism may be adapted. As may be better seen in Figs. 2 and 3, the inner door 2 has mounted thereon a latch mechanism which in accordance with my invention includes but a single movable member, the latch element 3. As there shown the latch element 3 is mounted directly upon the door, but it should be understood that separate mounting means could be at tached to the door and then the latch element mounted on that means.

As best shown in Fig. 4 the latch element 3 contains a catch portion or section 4 which is adapted to contact or engage a stationary keeper 5 secured to the stationary wall 6 of the refrigerator cabinet. In my preferred embodiment illustrated the catch portion 4 includes an aperture 7 which engages the keeper 5 but it should be understood that it could be provided with a hook or other means to provide such engagement. In any case this catch portion or section, when engaged with keeper 5, will effectively prevent any outward movement of door 2.. Incidentally in this closed position of the door it should be noted that the latch keeps the door gasket 8 in contact with the breaker strip 9 of the cabinet so as to effectively isolate the freezer compartment behind the door 2 from the rest of the refrigerator storage space.

In order that the catch portion 4 positively engages the keeper 5 so as to efiectively retain the door 2 in its closed position, I have included in my single movable element spring means which bias the catch section against the keeper. This means comprises a bifurcated portion and a tab portion both included in the single movable element, the tab portion extending from the bight portion of the bifurcated portion. Thus, in my preferred embodiment illustrated the latch element 3 includes at its one end a bifurcated portion comprised of the prongs 10 and 11 and also formed as part of the element and extending from the bight portion of the prongs is a tab or tongue 12. Those two portions, i. e. the bifurcated portion and the tab or tongue portion, cooperate to bias the catch portion 4 against the keeper 5 in a manner now to be explained.

In the embodiment illustrated the means for mounting the latch element 3 comprises the right-hand edge or side 13 of the door 2. To provide a moment for biasing catch portion 4 against keeper 5 the latch element is so arranged that one of the aforesaid bifurcated and tab por- Patented Mar. 11, 1958.

tions contacts one surface of this mounting means and the other of these portions contacts the other surface of the mounting means. More exactly, one of the moment producing portions is formed with a dished or crooked configuration to accomplish that result and specifically in the illustrated embodiment the tab 12 has a !-shaped or crooked configuration causing it to contact the inner sur face of side 13 while prongs It and 11 contact the outer surface thereof. So that the one moment producing portion of element 3 may contact the one surface of side 13 while the other portion contacts the opposite surface, the side is itself provided with an aperture 14 through which the one portion may extend. In the illustrated embodiment it is, of course, the crooked tab or tongue portion 12 which extends through this aperture. Although the shape of the aperture 14 is not at all critical to this preferred embodiment of my invention, the illustrated shape of two 'ofi-set parabolic sections has been found to be very satisfactory for assembly purposes.

Once the latch element is placed in position so that the end of the tab portion contacts one surface of the supporting means or plate while the ends of the prongs of the bifurcated portion contact the other side of the plate, a moment is thereupon set up biasing the main contact portion 4 of the element toward the keeper. In other words, a spring eifect occurs which locks the contact portion on the keeper as shown in Fig. 2. With reference to this spring action it should be understood that the same action can be provided by crooking or bending the bifurcated portion of the latch element rather than the tab or tongue portion. In other words, the same action will occur if the bifurcated portion is crooked so as to contact the opposite side of the mounting means from the keeper While the tongue portion contacts the surface of the mounting means adjacent the keeper.

In any case to hold the latch element in position after the bifurcated and tongue portions have been placed in engagement with the opposite surfaces of the mounting means I have provided means which are adapted to engage and position the element Without restraining movement of the catch portion. Preferably this means comprises a plurality of bosses or protuberances formed on the mounting member and lying on opposite sides of the ends of either the tab portion or the bifurcated portion. Thus in my preferred embodiment I have provided on the outer surface of side 13 of door 2 a plurality of bosses 15. When the latch element 2 is placed in position these bosses 15 lie on opposite sides of the ends of the prongs it and 11 "of the bifurcated portion and thereby hold the latch element securely in position without interfering with movement of the catch portion.

In order to open the door or other movable member the catch portion of the latch element must of course be released from engagement with the keeper. For that purpose, in my preferred embodiment I have provided manually operable means for applying a moment to the latch element 3 opposite to that moment resulting from the spring action of the tongue and bifurcated portions. Specifically in my preferred embodiment this means for applying an opposite moment comprises a lateral extension 16 of the latch element itself. As shown in Fig. 3 when the extension 16 is pushed toward door 2, a moment is applied to the catch section 4 causing it to disengage the keeper 5 and thereby free the door for outward movement. A recess and reversed bend portion provided in the door supplies a handle or grip means 17 whereby the door may be pulled open once the catch is released from the keeper. In the embodiment illustrated the latch releasing means 16 and the grip 17 are so related that they may be easily grasped at the same time. However, it should be understood that any suitable means may be used to release the latch element from the keeper and open the door.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a very simple latch including but a single movable member. This single movable member provides a positive latching action but yet is very easy to release for opening of the door. Further in my preferred embodiment the latch member may be easily formed from a single strip of metal and can be mounted on the door in a single assembly step.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what at present is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention. However, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the disclosed structure without departing from my invention, and it is, therefore, aimed in the appended claim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A latching mechanism for cooperating with a keeper to latch a movable member to a stationary member comprising a latch element having a catch section adapted to engage said keeper, means for mounting said latch element on one of said members, said latch element mounting means including at least one pair of bosses adapted to engage and position said element Without restraining movement of said catch section, said latch element having a bifurcated portion including a pair of prongs and a tongue portion extending from the bight portion of said prongs, one of said portions engaging one surface of said latch element mounting means between said pair of bosses and the other of said portions being crooked and engaging the opposite surface of said supporting means, whereby through spring force exerted by said tongue portion and said pair of prongs upon opposite sides respectively of said latch element mounting means a moment is produced in said latch element biasing said catch section into latching engagement with said keeper to latch said movable memher to said stationary member, and means for applying an opposite moment to said latch element to release said catch section from said keeper thereby to allow movement of said movable member relative to said stationary member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,435,589 Davis Nov. 14, 1922 1,892,594 Stone Dec. 27, 1932 2,208,727 Marshall July 23, 1940 2,724,882 Poupitch Nov. 29, 1955 

